Countdown to Christmas
by Absi B
Summary: A set of five festive oneshots, one for each day leading up to Christmas.
1. Snow

Snow

Winter is one of my favourite times of year. There's snow, there's Snoggletog, and there's plenty of cheer to go around. It's made a little less bitingly cold by the addition of Toothless- his warm fire can stop me from shivering whatever the weather. This is our first winter celebration with the dragons as our friends. It's going to be something really special, I just know it. It's going to be our first winter when we can all live without fear of being raided, without fear of starving to death because our food supplies have been stolen by rogue reptiles.

What could be bad about it?

I wake up to the feel of warm breath huffing on my face. This is Toothless' gentle way of waking me up. If he's feeling playful, he'll pull off my blanket and let me freeze or squash me with his paws.

"Hey, hey. Okay. I'm awake." I open my eyes and pull the warm nose closer. Pulling Toothless into a brief hug, I shiver as I leave the coziness of his body heat. Getting up, I glance at the skylight, and catch a glimpse of fresh snow lining our roof. Toothless jumps up, clinging to the rafters. His weight shakes the beam and causes a wedge of snow to slide off the roof, landing on the (presumably snow-covered) ground below.

"Looks like a snow day, bud," I say, leading the way down the stairs. Toothless coos in agreement, bounding enthusiastically down the stairs with one graceful leap. I quickly eat some breakfast and Toothless scoffs down some fish; in super- quick time, we are ready to face a day of fun in the snow.

Most days, we like to fly around the island and see the sights. Today, all the houses and trees are coated in a thick blanket of snow, and it's a wonderful winter scene. We land on the gentle slope of one of the larger hills around Berk. I jump off, and am immediately assaulted by a mound of snow. Once I've managed to work all the freezing snow and ice from my clothes (seriously, although my woolly vest is supremely warm, it's really bad for a snowball fight), I ball up some snow of my own. It's freezing against my fingers, but it won't stop me getting my revenge. I finish rolling a small snowball, then quickly turn and launch it towards Toothless. Unfortunately, my prosthetic skids on the powdery snow (ironic, isn't it? I've got no grip on the surface that occurs most often on Berk. I really should consider re-designing it) and I fall to the ground as I lob the snowball, turning its graceful trajectory into a rubbish anti climactical splat on the ground. Toothless looks at me, an amused expression on his face, and I quickly roll another snowball and lob it in his direction. This time, it almost makes it to its target before it's vapourised by a blue flame.

I get to my feet, and run until I am right next to Toothless. From there, I grab a handful of snow and stuff it down the gap between his saddle and his body. Toothless squeals as the icy substance trickles down his back.

"Haha!" I exclaim triumphantly. "Gotcha!" Toothless' only reply is a loud squeal. He digs his forepaws into the snow and launches another wave of snow at me. I dodge it, although not very well, the snow just catching my right side as I swerve left.

As I regain my balance, another huge mound of snow is dumped directly from above. I'm covered up to my waist.

"Toothless!" I yell. I was okay with the thrown snow, but having such a great amount of snow thrown on me was taking it a little too far. Above me, a voice laughs.

"Gotcha!" Astrid shouts down from the back of Stormfly, the latter flapping her wings and lifting them higher.

"I'll get my revenge!" I yell up at her, my shouts being joined by a threatening squeal from Toothless. "And Toothless just said he'd be delighted to help!"

"Oh, I'm so scared!" she shouts back down, her voice accompanied by a roar from Stormfly. Toothless, always the one to want to outdo every dragon, lets out a louder squeal. Stormfly replies, and Toothless squeals as loudly as he can in return. Stormfly roars, the pair of them getting more and more worked up. Toothless lets rip with an almighty roar, the likes of which I have not heard since before I befriended him.

Suddenly, behind me an ominous rumbling noise can be heard. I turn to face the mountainside, and I see something I don't really want to. I don't want to see it, because the tale usually goes that it's the last thing you ever see. That's right- the unstoppable wall of snow that barrels down on you.

I should have known. I should have seen that any loud noises would disturb the fresh sprinkling of snow. I should have stopped the roars when I had the chance.

Now, it's too late. Our jovial outing has turned into a disaster.

The snow comes free from the mountainside with a boom, and it starts sliding downwards with a mighty force; I begin to run, but I know I can never outrun the onrushing snow. Beside me, Toothless is frantically running too, nudging me madly to try and get me to climb aboard. I reach out my hands to grab the saddle, but my stupid leg skids again, and I fall flat on my face.

Toothless slides to a halt, frantically scrambling back up towards me. I wave him away.

"Go! Go! Leave me here and go!" I can't bear for my best friend to stay and die with me when he could save himself. Toothless comes right up to me, pushing his snout at me once more. I pat it gently.

"I'm sorry, bud, but you need to leave. Now." With one last fleeting touch of my skin on his, I push him away and turn to face my fate. I hear the flapping of wings behind me, and I know that my best friend has made the right choice and saved himself. I stay seated on the icy ground, staring down the wall of snow as it rushes up to meet me. The last thing I see as I close my eyes, prepared to be welcomed at the hall of the gods, is the white snow, then a sudden blackness.

I keep my eyes closed for a while. I'm wondering if this is what it's like to be dead. I mean, nobody can ever tell us what it's like or anything. I didn't even feel myself die. It's weird, because I'd always thought that you'd feel the last moment, and then there would be oblivion. But I experienced neither. I didn't feel the force of the snow crushing me; I can still think and feel the ground beneath my feet.

From this, I can only conclude that I am, in fact, not dead.

But how?

I open my eyes a crack, only to see nothing but black. It's dark and cold, but I'm not surrounded by snow. It's almost like I'm in... a teepee of some description. I stretch out my legs tentatively, then get to my feet. I walk around the perimeter of the strange tent, then I slowly reach out a hand to touch the blackness.

I recoil in shock the second my hand makes contact with the black, because the sensation is unmistakeable.

It's Toothless.

I touch his wing again, and this time, part of his head appears at the top of the dome. Seeing me, he coos proudly, then turns his head upwards and cries out. He also seems to be shooting fire upwards. I guess he's trying to get us out of the snowfall.

But... that's the incredible thing. I mean... he's here, and he saved me, and he's just... amazing.

I keep standing, just gently touching Toothless' wing and offering quiet words of encouragement. I can feel his body getting progressively colder and stiffer as the time passes.

At last, when I too have begun to shiver, I see a pale light begin to break through the thin membranes of Toothless' wings. He unwraps me from his life- saving embrace, revealing Astrid and Stormfly standing above us. I instantly run over to Toothless and give him an embrace in gratitude of his act. I hug his lukewarm body so tightly, and I never want to let go. I let go of him before, but now I see that I was wrong.

If he's willing to sacrifice himself alongside me, for us to take solace in the presence of one another as we drift away, then I will gladly accept his company. There is nobody I would want to see more at my final moment in this world.

All I want to do right now is hug my best friend and selfless saviour. Because words can never express my gratitude.

For everything.

* * *

**A/N: I have joined LesserWraith in the '5 stories in 5 days'. So, five festive oneshots for you to enjoy. Don't forget to tell me what you think! You can also suggest ideas or themes, if you like. **


	2. Decorations

Decorations

This time of year has never been anything special for me. It's just been the same old, same old- leave the nest, fly to the island, shoot the catapults, return to the nest. Just because it got colder and the humans had some weird celebrations didn't mean we stopped raiding. In fact, the more food we stole, the fewer people that survived the harsh winter; there were fewer people to defend their food stores.

But those were the days of the Queen, and they're gone now. All thanks to the small boy sitting by my side. I don't miss them, and the humans certainly don't, either. This year, there _is_ something special.

"You ready for this, bud?" Hiccup asks me, and I coo in agreement. He's standing in front of this huge box of decorations, and I'm wondering how on earth he managed to get them down the stairs by himself. He bends down and starts to rummage through the crate. I decide (after about three seconds) that this is boring and it's taking too long, so I bound forwards playfully and nudge the box over with my nose, sending decorations rolling everywhere.

"Toothless!" Hiccup scolds gently, but I stand proud instead.

_I'm just trying to help. That's what I'm here for, right?_ I make my green eyes as wide as possible, and smile in the way only I can. Hiccup looks up at me for a long moment, his face gradually softening and allowing a smile to break through.

"Yeah. Thanks, bud. Now there's decorations all over the floor when they should be on the walls."

_If they're meant to be on the walls, maybe we should stop talking and start decorating_, I point out logically. Hiccup sighs- he knows he can never win this argument. I coo happily in triumph. Sticking my nose into the crate, I emerge with some sort of garland wrapped around my head. Apparently, this is funny, because the moment Hiccup sees me he starts to laugh. I just continue to stare at him curiously, watching his happiness.

I shake my head, and the garland flutters to the ground. Hiccup picks it up and holds it near my mouth.

"Grab this. It needs to go on that rafter up there," he says. "Go on. It's not going to kill you." At his encouragement, I gently hold the garland between my toothless gums, then tense my legs and leap to the rafters, using my wings to aid me. After a few seconds of frantic flapping and scrabbling, I make it onto the designated rafter. I spit the garland out, one end dropping down towards the floor. Following its trajectory, I see that in my attempts to climb up I have only caused more chaos; the lighter decorations have fluttered and jumped around, and I managed to knock a fair few things over in the commotion.

_Whoops_, I say guiltily.

"Whoops indeed. What is my father going to say when he sees this?"

This moment is, of course, the one at which Stoick decides to return. He opens the door, and we both spin to stare guiltily at him. He looks around for a moment, then his eyes settle on me.

"What have you been doing? I thought I told you to get the decorations ready?" His face is quickly reddening.

"We were. I was, uh, Toothless was just putting up the garland." He gestures to the end of the garland, which has been slightly dampened from my mouth.

"Were you trying to destroy everything else in the process?" He stares accusingly at me. My mind whirs, quickly coming up with a response.

_Tell him yes_, I say urgently.

"Uh, yes, we were?" Hiccup says, obviously confused but giving my answer nonetheless.

"Okay. Toothless can't help you any more, son. I'll help you from now on. Maybe then we'll still have a house at the end of the day."

Hiccup looks crestfallen. "Fine," he sighs. "Toothless, you're going to have to wait upstairs for now. We can go flying when I've finished, yeah?"

_Okay_, I say, hopping down from the rafters and making the floorboards creak. When I land, some of the decorations start to jangle and move again, and Stoick only gestures at me, his point proven.

I start up the stairs. I_t's okay that I can't decorate. I've never done it before anyway, so it's no great tragedy,_ I whisper to Hiccup, and he looks at me, slightly happier now that I've admitted I don't care about the decorations.

It's not that I don't care, it's just that I know I won't be any good at them anyway. I'm too big to be any use. The house I currently reside in was designed for people, not dragons. But Hiccup asked me to help, and of course I said yes. There's not a lot I wouldn't do for Hiccup.

Well, if you consider dying to save someone the ultimate sacrifice, then there's _nothing_ I wouldn't do for Hiccup.

As I reach the small platform which is Hiccup's bedroom (I never think of it as our bedroom; I've always felt that it's his room, and he's chosen to allow me to stay there), an idea begins to form in my mind. I noticed a small fir tree sitting downstairs yesterday, and I assumed that it had something to do with their winter celebrations. But... there's no tree up here. I could get one!

Yes. That's what I'm going to do. Go and find a tree, sneak it in here, then decorate it and surprise Hiccup. Quickly glancing back to check nobody's watching, and listening intently to the conversation downstairs to ensure there is no suspicion, I leap out of the skylight, being careful this time not to disturb anything else, and glide gently down to the ground. It's going to be difficult, because without Hiccup I can't fly, but there's nothing I wouldn't do to see him happy again.

Wandering into the woods, I see a perfect tree almost immediately. It's small and light, so I can carry it, but it's also different. I choose this tree because it's a slightly odd colour.

It's the colour of our eyes.

Holding my claws out in front of me, I slice deftly through the trunk of the tree with a swish. It falls, crunching gently against the snow all around it. Picking up the slender trunk in my gums, I grimace slightly at the wooden taste. Luckily, it's not far to the house. Also, his house stands at the top of the hill, and the skylight is not visible to anyone else- perfect as a secret entrance. I sneak silently up to the house- of course, my jet black scales don't provide any real camouflage in this white landscape.

Now, how to actually get up there?

I decide to just go for it, and run up then jump, flapping my wings to try and attain some altitude. Thankfully my claws can reach the roof, and I grab a tight hold on it. Hauling myself up is excruciatingly slow, because I'm doing my utmost to remain undetected. But I manage it, the branches making a quiet rustling as I slip through the opening and land stealthily on the floor. I lean the tree against the only free wall, then stand back to admire my work. It needs... something.

An image flickers in my mind for a moment, an unsure memory. I see the tree downstairs... and below it, boxes and crates. On the tree are various other items.

Maybe this tree should have something underneath it too?

I leap out of the skylight once more, and wander around the village until I find a convenient bucket of fish that someone has carelessly left out. Picking this up (and savouring the delicious smell of fresh fish. It takes a lot of willpower to stop myself from scoffing them down straight away), I quickly return to the house. Gently overturning the bucket, I arrange the fish in a pleasing way beneath the tree.

Now the only things left are the decorations to go on the tree. That's going to be a little more tricky. I can't get hold of any of the normal decorations, because they're all downstairs, and going down to get them would require some explanation. I leap gracefully up the the skylight once more, and gaze at the vista before me.

All I see is white. Snow, snow, and... that's it! Snow! I quickly jump back down, grab the bucket between my gums, and flap out of the opening. Swooping low to the ground, I manage to scoop up a fair amount of snow in the bucket. Landing, I use my paws to shovel even more in. I fill it to the brim before returning to Hiccup's room.

Standing on my hind legs, I slowly turn the bucket upside down, emptying the contents of the bucket onto the tree. The snow falls down, coating each branch liberally with its perfect whiteness. Stepping back, I admire my work.

This is Snoggletog- Night Fury style.

I settle down on my pedestal, head on my front paws, and wait quietly for Hiccup to arrive.

It's a full hour before he's finished, and I hear him clumping loudly up the stairs. He pulls the curtain acting as a door to his room to the side, and I jump up and give him my best Toothless grin.

"Hey, bud! What've you been doing while I was gone?"

_Oh, nothing_, I reply vaguely, stepping slightly to the side to afford Hiccup a view of my decoration. He spots it soon enough- I can tell from the gasp, the shocked look, and the rushing towards it.

"Toothless, did you... did you do all this?" he asks in disbelief.

_Yep_, I reply proudly. Hiccup bends down and picks up a fish.

"And where did you get these from?" he asks, feigning a stern expression.

_Uh, nowhere_, I say quickly, widening my eyes and trying to look as innocent as possible. L_ook, the colour of the tree matches our eyes_, I add, trying to change the subject away from where I got the fish. He walks closer, touching a branch gently and watching the snowflakes tumble erratically from it.

"It's beautiful," he says quietly. I remain still, wanting to give him some space for this special moment. He stands there for some moments afterwards, just looking and thinking. At last, he turns and walks slowly over to me. In his hand is a fish.

"Early Snoggletog gift," he says, throwing it up in the air. I catch it eagerly, and when the fish is snapped up in my jaws, I notice a pressure on my chest. Looking down, I see that it is Hiccup. He is hugging me tightly, his face pressed into my scales. I can hear him whispering words, but even my acute hearing cannot comprehend them.

I return the embrace, wrapping my wings around him and tucking my head down so that I can watch his face. It's so innocent and pale- the antithesis of mine. I've seen far too much; there are too many dark memories that I would rather not have stashed away in the depths of my mind.

These dark experiences are what I need to protect Hiccup from.

After a long time, Hiccup finally releases his arms. "Thanks, bud. For everything. You are... amazing." I coo, and lick him happily.

Who needs gifts at Snoggletog, when you can have friends like Hiccup?

* * *

**A/N: Only four days until Christmas! I hope you enjoyed this, and stay tuned for another Christmassy oneshot tomorrow. **


	3. Mistletoe

Mistletoe

"Really?" Astrid says, grinning up at me. I'm standing above them, holding a small bunch of mistletoe gently between my gums.

"Yep," Hiccup replies happily, then moves towards her and presses his lips against hers. I stand tall and watch as my best friend finally manages to catch the girl of his dreams. We all stand there for a long moment, their lips pressed together, mine grasping the magical tree that people always seem to want to kiss under. When they finally part, I settle back down on all fours, dropping the branch into the snow at my feet.

_Do I get a kiss?_ I ask, but before Hiccup has time to reply I walk straight up to Astrid and give her a huge lick. She squeals at the warm dragon saliva that is now liberally coating her tunic.

"Why would you do that?" Hiccup asks me.

_Oh no, you're not getting away from this un-licked,_ I reply, and Hiccup turns and starts to run, leaving Astrid still standing there complaining about 'Hiccup's uncontrollable dragon'. I coo happily and make chase, bounding around the snow-covered clearing enthusiastically. Hiccup can't run particularly fast, but I make out as if he's going too fast for me to catch him for a while, eventually putting on a final burst of speed and tackling him to the ground.

I stand over his fallen body and cover him with licks. Now it's his turn to squeal. He rolls around in the snow, flailing his arms about as he tries to stop the assault. After I see that he is thoroughly soaked, I stop, standing up and holding out a paw for him to help himself up with. He grasps it gratefully, and, since I'm feeling really playful, I wait until he is halfway between standing and sitting, then I quickly retract my hand, sending Hiccup tumbling to the ground once again.

I laugh, a guttural, coarse sound, but it makes Hiccup laugh at his predicament too.

_Consider that your payment for making me stand there_, I say. He gets up on his own, dusting himself off. "Ugh. You've made me smell like fish!" he whines.

"Me too!" yells a voice from the other side of the clearing.

I just huff irritatedly. _Honestly. I try to be nice, but all you guys ever do is complain._ I start back towards the house, stomping my paws hard into the snow. Behind me, I hear quick steps crunching in my direction. A soft hand lands on my back, and instantly I whirl round to face its owner.

"Whoa," says a startled Hiccup. He's still soaked through (and he does smell of fish. It's delightful) from my earlier attack. "I forgot to thank you for holding the mistletoe. You won't tell anyone about this, will you?"

I give him my Toothless grin, my feigned anger forgotten. _Course I won't. If you do something for me._ I'm using this opportunity to my full advantage.

Hiccup sighs. "What is it?"

_You're going to hold some mistletoe for me,_ I reply mysteriously. Hiccup looks confused for a moment, his thick brows knitting together, then he comes to a realisation.

"Ohhhh. Well, if it keeps your mouth shut, then okay. I'll do it."

_Great_, I say, turning and beginning to walk back to the house again. _You know, it's not like I could have told anyone but you anyway, right?_ Hiccup's cursing from behind me tells me that he hadn't thought of that earlier. This only sends me into even higher spirits, and I practically dance my way back to the house.

Just as I reach the edge of the woods and catch sight of the house standing proud at the top of the hill (yes, humans have a hierarchical system too. Hiccup, being the son of the chief, gets the nicest house with the best view. I got the best perch on the island during the days of the Queen, too) I'm ambushed from above. A wiry teen lands on my back, his feet hooking into the tail mechanism effortlessly, and I spread my wings and leap upwards with a bound.

I soar up high, looking for a private spot to land. Eventually, I choose the same tree I dropped Astrid on when she accidentally discovered us one day. It's still standing, but it bends and creaks when I settle my full weight on it once more.

_We need a plan_, I say to Hiccup.

"Right. Yes. A plan. Uh... what do you have in mind?" I can tell from his tone that he hasn't got a clue.

_Well, first we need some mistletoe. I dropped the other branch in the clearing. Second, we'll need somewhere to lure Stormfly, and some way to get her there._

"Woah. Hang on. Stormfly? That's who this is all about?" I snort derisively.

_Who else?_

"Okay. We can get the mistletoe easily enough. And... hmm. Where do you think is a good place?"

_How about your bedroom?_ I say after a few moments of thought. _We could lure her in through the skylight, you could hang from the rafters, and... yeah. What do you think?_

"That sounds like a pretty good idea to me. I mean-" He never gets to finish his sentence, because I'm already airborne, shooting back towards home like an arrow. I hear a small whoop from above, and I complete a corkscrew, then a loop in quick succession. This draws a much louder cheer, and I feel a surge of happiness too. If Hiccup is happy, then I'm happy. I flip upside down once more, this time holding the position.

_Let go_, I encourage Hiccup. He does, and his hands dangle downwards as we shoot through the air. He whoops again, partly a scream of terror, but also one of pure enjoyment. I swoop low over the forest, so low that Hiccup's hands could almost touch the treetops. He screams some more, and I right myself just as we approach his house. I glide over to the house at a far more sedate pace, then I close my wings quickly and drop down through the opening into Hiccup's bedroom.

I land with a soft thud, shaking myself off as Hiccup slides off my back. He runs straight downstairs, returning in seconds with a sizeable sprig of mistletoe.

"I don't know why my dad still hangs this downstairs. It's not like he's going to be kissing anyone underneath it any time soon."

_It doesn't hurt to have a little hope_, I reply. It's true- I have hope for a lot of things. I hope that there are more of my kind somewhere on this earth; I hope that I can stay with Hiccup for the rest of my days; I hope that I never lose my faith or trust in him.

But too much hope can be a bad thing also. It can make you lose track of reality, lose track of your real dreams. You get lost in a hopeful world, and never remember to get back to the real one. When your hopes aren't fulfilled, you crash so much harder. Hope is a two-edged sword- one to cut your enemies and fears down, the other to cut you down if you rely on it too often.

"What do you want me to do?" Hiccup asks, looking up at me.

_Um... I'll boost you up here, then when the time is right you can dangle down and hold the mistletoe. _I grab hold of the back of Hiccup's shirt and jump up to the rafters. Thankfully Hiccup still has some sense after my sudden seizure of his clothing, and manages to grab the rafter before I release my grip and fall back down. He scrambles up, kneeling unsteadily on the narrow beam.

_Stay right there- I'll be back in a few minutes_, I tell him, and I just catch his final words as I whisk out of the skylight once again.

"Well, where else am I supposed to go?"

I jump down from the roof, and go looking for Stormfly. After a brief few minutes of searching, I find her on the edge of the woods. She seems to be a little worried.

_Are you okay?_ I ask, and she jumps and whirls around.

_Oh! Hi, I didn't even see you coming. Uh... yeah, I'm fine, I was just, um, waiting for Astrid. She went into the woods without me ages ago, and I'm starting to get worried._

I could almost take to the skies and shoot off shots of joy. Well, I can't do the former anyway, because Hiccup's not here, but a dragon can still dream, right? She has unwittingly given me the perfect excuse for her to come to the house.

_Yeah... um, she's actually at Hiccup's. Come on, I'll take you there_. I turn around and begin walking back to the house, hoping that Stormfly is following. After a few seconds she catches up to me, and we walk side by side for a moment. I stifle a sigh of relief (and a flush of embarrassment) when I catch sight of her.

_You know, we'd be able to get there a lot faster if you could actually fly on your own,_ Stormfly points out after a few moments of trudging through the snow. _Why don't you get Hiccup to make you a new tail or something?_

This is a bit of a touchy subject for me. I bristle slightly, but hold down my slight irritation. _I don't want to. I'm okay with flying with Hiccup._

_But don't you miss it? Being able to go where you like without someone controlling you? _I must admit, she's pretty persistent.

_No. I like Hiccup. And besides, he doesn't control me. He just keeps me in the air_. My irritation is starting to show a little.

_Well_, I _think it would be awful, not being able to fly wherever I wanted,_ she huffs, and this just about pushes me over the edge.

_Well, you just don't understand then, do you? _I exclaim, breaking into a fast sprint towards my house. I lied about Astrid, I yell back over my shoulder as an afterthought so that she doesn't follow me. My fury lends me strength, and I make it through the skylight in one huge leap. I land on the wooden floor with a clatter of claws. Hiccup glances down.

"Toothless? Where's Stormfly?" he asks, concerned.

_She's... she's not coming_, I say. I can feel a strange wetness on my face. Hiccup sees this, and swings down, dangling by his fingertips on the rafter. He drops down, onto my back, then immediately slides off and puts his hands to my eyes.

"What happened? Why are you crying?" he asks gently.

I sigh. _She's just so... ignorant. About everything. She complained about the fact I refused to get a new tail so I could fly alone. But she just doesn't _understand, I finish savagely. Hiccup just watches me, then wipes the moisture from my face and hugs my snout gently.

"Hey, it's okay. I understand. I understand that you're an incredible friend, and the most amazing thing a boy could ask for."

I take comfort in his soft embrace. I don't want a new tail because I don't want to have my independence back. That would mean that I wouldn't need Hiccup like I do now. I would be able to fly where I wanted, sure, but sometimes I wouldn't be able to share those places with Hiccup. And the only way to make sure I share everything with him, is to keep us connected forever.

_I don't know if anyone else will ever understand,_ I say softly. Hiccup nods; he's the only one that can ever truly understand. He feels my pains, and he knows my true thoughts and emotions. We are of one mind, one body.

In the midst of Hiccup's embrace, I wonder why I ever wanted Stormfly in the first place.

* * *

**A/N: Only three days until Christmas! I'm getting pretty excited now. If you've enjoyed these festive oneshots, why not check out LesserWraith's too?**


	4. Dance

Dance

It's almost Snoggletog, and I'm dancing crazily in the Great Hall with my best friend. He's whirling me around, and it's the weirdest and fastest dance you've ever seen. All I can see are the flaming torches flashing by, and the occasional glimpse of a black and red shape twisting and turning around me.

Yeah, that's right. I don't even know why I asked Toothless if he knew how to dance. I hardly expected him to say yes, after all.

But when I was thinking of dancing, this wasn't exactly what I was thinking of.

Finally, the music (a lively jig) finishes, and I stumble to a halt, dizzy and disoriented. Toothless bounds up to me and gives me a huge lick, soaking my nice new tunic.

_Was that fun or what?_ he says, grinning happily.

"Yeah... so much fun. I really need to sit down," I say quickly, staggering over to the nearest bench. "I thought you said you knew how to dance?" I said when I had flopped down onto the seat.

_That is dancing. At least, that's how dragons dance. It's better if you do it in the air._

I sigh, and look at him wearily. "Well, you should have told me that before, shouldn't you?"

_But I can't dance with you if I have to fly, because I need you to fly. And dancing alone is never fun_, he whines.

"Fine. Okay. I'm going to go find someone else to dance with." I take a few more breaths and the room gradually comes to a halt, then I stand up and look around for Astrid. Spotting her surrounded by the rest of the teens at their usual table, I walk across, calling her name. She turns, and gets up to meet me, pushing away all of the others.

It's sweet, that she would care for me more than them, but I'm pretty sure I get enough care from Toothless to more than cover it. I know he's just protecting me and all, but the care goes a lot further than that. He cares about my mental health as well as my physical health, and I know he'd move mountains to get to me if I needed help. Without me, he may be a downed dragon, but that would never stop him.

Friends don't give up on each other. No matter what.

"Hey, what's up? I saw you dancing with Toothless. It was... interesting..." She trails off uncertainly, unsure of what to say next. Even though I like her, and I'm pretty sure she knows it and likes me too, there are often these awkward moments between us. I guess it goes back to the time before the dragons, when she was the warrior princess and I was the useless nobody. The dragons haven't done everything to eliminate every awkwardness.

"Uh, yeah. I wasn't expecting it either. Would you care to dance?" I ask, extending my hand.

She takes it with a smile. "Of course. Are you going to do the same crazy dancing again?"

"Hopefully not. Honestly, I ask him if he can dance, and he says 'yes, of course,' but it's only after I've been almost knocked out by the force of his spinning that he tells me dragons dance in the air."

Astrid just looks at me. I'm not sure what she's thinking. "Well, duh. Where else would they dance?"

I sigh. "Toothless can't dance in the air any more," I say quietly, more to myself than to Astrid.

She turns her head to me. "What did you say?" I glance up, catching her deep blue eyes with my forest green ones.

"I said, Toothless can't dance in the air any more."

"What? Of course he can!"

"Yeah, but not with me. I can't fly, and he needs me just to be able to get off the ground anyway."

"Well, then why don't we dance together? You and Toothless, and me and Stormfly." She grins at me, and I grin right back.

"You know, that sounds like a great idea."

"Much better than a boring old dance on the ground, huh?" she says with a smile. "I'll see you outside in five." With a wave of her fingers she's off, presumably to find Stormfly.

I run over to Toothless. "Hey, bud. Want to dance with Astrid and Stormfly?"

_Why Astrid_? he asks in an annoyed tone. _Can't it just be Stormfly?_

"She was the one who asked in the first place! And besides, she's my date, and Stormfly is yours. It's only fair." Toothless huffs, but acquiesces and follows me outside, where Astrid and Stormfly are already waiting.

Astrid walks up to me. "Uh, do you have any idea how dragons dance?" she asks nervously.

"Nope," I reply with a grin. "But they do. Just let them do what comes naturally. We're just spectators, really." I turn around and climb into the saddle, clipping my legs into the control stirrups. Astrid deftly swings on to Stormfly, and we take off in perfect synchronicity.

"Okay, bud. You know what to do."

_Do I ever? I live for this. Well, I live for you too, but you get the idea_, he replies excitedly, and dives down to begin the dance.

Toothless plummets down towards Stormfly, coming to an abrupt halt right next to her. They flap their wings, beating in a perfect identical rhythm, surging forwards. Suddenly, Toothless breaks towards the clouds, leaving Stormfly flying straight on. He comes to rest at a fast glide a way above her, then begins his solo dance.

I hang on, controlling the fin as if it is a part of my own body, as Toothless plunges and soars. To me, it seems like his loops and twists are random and spur- of- the- moment, but the incredible timing and choreography suggests that he's done this a million times before. It's pretty exhilarating.

After a few minutes of the wind roaring in my ears, he suddenly folds in his wings and drops like a stone, shooting past Stormfly, who instantly follows. We're at the Stacks now- the huge needles of rock that pierce the surface of the sea just off Berk. Stormfly and Toothless both dodge and dive around them, flying in complicated patterns around one another. After a few minutes of whizzing though rocks, Toothless settles into a comfortable oval track, while Stormfly takes off to perform her solo dance.

I watch, and I'm pretty sure my mouth is hanging open for the most part. Stormfly loops and corkscrews her way across the sky, effortlessly avoiding the rocks by mere inches. More than once did I gasp or almost cover my eyes, certain that she was about to plunge to her doom. I catch a glimpse of Astrid's set face as she speeds close by, her mind concentrating on staying on but not much else. The next time we loop around, Stormfly joins us, and the four of us surge into a vertical climb, corkscrewing and twisting around each other in a complex helical shape.

I can't imagine what it looks like to anybody who is able to see us.

We reach the clouds, and split, then proceed to form a figure eight shape, meeting in the middle briefly before diving back down. As we fall, both dragons quickly flip and spread their wings, then shoot fire into the air above.

As we drop down slowly, we can watch the fireballs exploding, then fading, above us. I'm staring at the sky for a long time, before I'm flipped the right way up just as the sea flashes by my feet. Whew. That was close. But I suspect it was intentional. Toothless and Stormfly pull up slightly, putting a more comfortable distance between the water and my feet, then they touch their wings together gently.

Locked in this weird dragon embrace, they loop and twist gracefully around each other, neither wingtip ever leaving the other's. I can watch Astrid a bit more at this point, and I manage to catch her eye and mouth, _wow_. She nods, then grins as we skim the tops of the waves on the way back to Berk.

Our magical flight is over, and we're returning to the island at last. Toothless dives down and lands gently behind my house, quickly followed by Stormfly.

_What do you think?_ Toothless asks me. My adrenaline is still pumping from the incredible flight.

"That was pretty awesome," I reply, turning to Astrid, who is just getting off Stormfly. "And what did you think?"

"Wow. Just wow. We should do that again sometime," she replies, walking up to me and turning to face the full moon. Our shoulders just brush, and I feel a tingle from the contact. The moon is just catching the whiteness of the fresh snow, now marred by two pairs of footprints.

"That was so beautiful. Thanks, Hiccup," she says after a few moments, catching me by surprise and giving me a long, deep kiss.

When we break apart, I blush nervously. "Um, thanks."

"Well, see you tomorrow!" she says brightly, running over to Stormfly and taking off for her own abode. I turn around, the hear still burning on in my cheeks, only to come face to face with Toothless. He's got this weird expression on his face- it's almost like he's... mocking me...

"What are you looking at?" I say to his seemingly innocent expression.

* * *

**A/N: Only two more sleeps until Christmas! And only one more oneshot to go! But I can tell you that (spoiler alert) it's going to be a poem. **


	5. The Night Before Snoggletog

The Night Before Snoggletog

'Twas the night before Snoggletog, when all 'cross the hill

Not a dragon was stirring, not even a Skrill;

His helmet was placed by his bedside with care,

In the hope that Odin soon would be there;

Young Hiccup was nestled all snug in his bed,

While memories of Toothless soared through his head,

And Valla in her helmet, and I in my cap,

Had just settled our axes for a long winter's nap —

When out on the green there arose such a clatter,

I leapt from the bed to see what was the matter.

Away to the front door I flew like a flash,

Tore open the bolts, opened the door with a bash.

The moon on the drifts of the new fallen snow,

Gave the lustre of mid-day to the houses below;

When, what to my tired eyes should appear,

But a man in a helmet, holding a trident and spear!

With a wizened old face, so haggard and foreboding,

I knew in a moment it must be the great Odin.

As I moved away my head, and was turning around,

Through the door Odin came with a bound:

He was dressed all in leather, from his boot to his head,

And his helmet was all finished in bronze and red ;

A sack of surprises was flung on his back,

And he looked like a trader just opening his pack:

His helmet — how it glittered! His weapons, how shiny,

His eyes were like emeralds, his voice was so whiny;

The corners of his mouth were pushed down low,

And the hair on his chin was as white as the snow;

The shaft of a spear he held tight in his hand,

And the tip- almost to attention did it stand.

He had a narrow face, and a wiry, thin body

That tensed when he moved, the antithesis of a teddy.

He was skinny and muscular, a right proud old god,

And I knelt when I saw him, in spite of myself;

A twirl of his spear and a flick of my ear

Soon gave me to know he was nobody to fear.

He spoke many words, then went straight to his work,

And filled Hiccup's helmet; then turned with a jerk,

And his goodwill all having been sent,

Then giving a nod, through the door he went.

He sprung to the green, to my house gave a whistle,

And away he then flew, like the down of a thistle:

But I heard him exclaim, as he soared out of sight —

Happy Snoggletog to all, and to all a good night!

* * *

**A/N: And all that's left to say is Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoyed the festive oneshots (and poem)! **


End file.
